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An illustration of the complex plane. The imaginary numbers are on the vertical coordinate axis. Although the Greek mathematician and engineer Heron of Alexandria is noted as the first to present a calculation involving the square root of a negative number, [6] [7] it was Rafael Bombelli who first set down the rules for multiplication of complex numbers in 1572.
Square roots of negative numbers are called imaginary because in early-modern mathematics, only what are now called real numbers, obtainable by physical measurements or basic arithmetic, were considered to be numbers at all – even negative numbers were treated with skepticism – so the square root of a negative number was previously considered undefined or nonsensical.
In mathematics, −1 (negative one or minus one) is the additive inverse of 1, that is, the number that when added to 1 gives the additive identity element, 0. It is the negative integer greater than negative two (−2) and less than 0 .
For example, the equation (+) = has no real solution, because the square of a real number cannot be negative, but has the two nonreal complex solutions + and . Addition, subtraction and multiplication of complex numbers can be naturally defined by using the rule i 2 = − 1 {\displaystyle i^{2}=-1} along with the associative , commutative , and ...
A number is negative if it is less than zero. A number is non-negative if it is greater than or equal to zero. A number is non-positive if it is less than or equal to zero. When 0 is said to be both positive and negative, [citation needed] modified phrases are used to refer to the sign of a number: A number is strictly positive if it is greater ...
Then one has + = The same formula applies to octonions, with a zero real part and a norm equal to 1. These formulas are a direct generalization of Euler's identity, since and are the only complex numbers with a zero real part and a norm (absolute value) equal to 1.
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5⋅5, or 5 2 (5 squared), can be shown graphically using a square. Each block represents one unit, 1⋅1, and the entire square represents 5⋅5, or the area of the square. In mathematics, a square is the result of multiplying a number by itself. The verb "to square" is used to denote this operation.